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Description
While I was being such a diligent student and totally NOT wasting my time over spring break, I found this photograph of Canadian model Rick Genest: [link]

Rick's intricate skeletal tattoos have gained him international attention. I'm not a tattoo person, but you've got to admit, from an artistic standpoint, those are unbelievable.

And of course, who was the first person I thought of when I saw him?

I have problems.

I wanted this to look like an old medical photograph. Sort of Joseph Merrick-esque, although I doubt Erik ever sat still long enough for someone to take his picture. "Say cheese" wouldn't exactly work in this situation. In any case, you know my love of all things Victorian, and there is nothing more eerie than old medical photographs. Or Victorian post-mortem photography. Yeesh. I've seen too many creepy things in my day, to the point where I'm almost desensitized, but those photos just give me the heebie jeebies every single time.

For me, this was about portraying Erik at his most vulnerable and casting the things that mark him as "grotesque" in harsh light. That probably explains the lack of hair. For some reason, bald just seemed to work here.

Poor guy. As if things couldn't get any worse, I took away his hair.

The Phantom of the Opera is © Gaston Leroux.

Description
While I was being such a diligent student and totally NOT wasting my time over spring break, I found this photograph of Canadian model Rick Genest: [link]

Rick's intricate skeletal tattoos have gained him international attention. I'm not a tattoo person, but you've got to admit, from an artistic standpoint, those are unbelievable.

And of course, who was the first person I thought of when I saw him?

I have problems.

I wanted this to look like an old medical photograph. Sort of Joseph Merrick-esque, although I doubt Erik ever sat still long enough for someone to take his picture. "Say cheese" wouldn't exactly work in this situation. In any case, you know my love of all things Victorian, and there is nothing more eerie than old medical photographs. Or Victorian post-mortem photography. Yeesh. I've seen too many creepy things in my day, to the point where I'm almost desensitized, but those photos just give me the heebie jeebies every single time.

For me, this was about portraying Erik at his most vulnerable and casting the things that mark him as "grotesque" in harsh light. That probably explains the lack of hair. For some reason, bald just seemed to work here.

Poor guy. As if things couldn't get any worse, I took away his hair.

The Phantom of the Opera is © Gaston Leroux.